Top 10 Books

c99ux

'Sir' to you

General

11 Nov 05 07:35

Bosse de Nage

Zellulärer Automat

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Moves: 90892

12 Nov 05 09:23

1 edit

Originally posted by rbmorris
Ballard wrote Crash, right? I wasn't crazy about that. Would you recommend I try one of his other books, or drop him altogether?

Crash is probably the last place to start, but unfortunately due to x y & z it's the fist I mean the first for many.

The Collected Short Stories would be an idea--contains all his styles.

Then, novels, depends on your taste--mainstream option is to go for anything from Empire of the Sun onward (my preference, The Kindness of Women, his "fictional autobiography" ). Otherwise, one of his funniest books, for me, is Hello America.

smiley edit

abalone

King of seafood

In the can! Dummy!

Joined: 11 Apr 05
Moves: 31251

12 Nov 05 13:49

hey guys - a lot of good books posted already

how about

SF
Walter M Miller Jr : A Canticle for Liebowitz; all of IM Banks; AE van Vogt : Null A series; PK Dick: Man in the High Castle (5* book)

and...
Hess: Glass Bead Game (but a bit heavy); CP Snow : Corridors of Power; Laurence Durrell : Alexandria Quartet and most of J P Donleavy

Bosse de Nage

Zellulärer Automat

Spiel des Lebens

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12 Nov 05 14:10

Originally posted by abalone
SF
Walter M Miller Jr : A Canticle for Liebowitz; all of IM Banks; AE van Vogt : Null A series; PK Dick: Man in the High Castle (5* book)

I can vouch for all of these except for Van Vogt (haven't read any).

What kind of mood do you have to be in to read Lawrence Durrell?

buffalobill

Major Bone

On yer tail ...

Joined: 28 Feb 05
Moves: 16686

12 Nov 05 14:26

Originally posted by abalone
hey guys - a lot of good books posted already

how about

SF
Walter M Miller Jr : A Canticle for Liebowitz;

Surely one of the greatest sci-fi books ever written. If you've never read it, do so.

demonseed

Joined: 19 Mar 05
Moves: 11878

12 Nov 05 14:40

Although some have been already posted, and in no particular order...

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -Dougas Adams
Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres
1984 - George Orwell
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
How Many Miles to Babylon - Jennifer Johnston

I also like a few plays ...

The Misanthrope - Moliere
The Oresteian Trilogy - Aeschylus
The Theban Plays - Sophocles
Ghosts - Ibsen

CalWriter

Creative Genius

Literary Lion Land

Joined: 12 Sep 04
Moves: 75934

12 Nov 05 14:51

Rabbit Run - John Updike
Shogun - James Clavell
Prayer For Owen Meany - John Irving
Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
Dune - Frank Herbert
Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean Auel
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
The Eight - Katherine Neville
Grapes of Wraith - John Steinbeck
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

c99ux

'Sir' to you

Osaka, Japan

Joined: 30 Sep 05
Moves: 40257

14 Nov 05 02:48

Tom Jones, Henry Fielding
Vanity Fair, Thackary
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
1984, George Orwell
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
Wystarczy Byc (Being There) Jerzy Kosinski

BATigers

Joined: 29 Oct 04
Moves: 187

14 Nov 05 03:20

Dickens- Tale of Two Cities
i can't imagen it not making the list. it's a great book

Nietzsche1844

yes

Joined: 26 Aug 05
Moves: 110748

14 Nov 05 06:32

BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (DOSTOEVSKY)
THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA (NIETZSCHE)
THE METHAMORPHOSES (KAFKA)
ULYSSES (JAMES JOYCE)
MOBY DICK (MELVILLE)
THE TRIAL (KAFKA)
ON WALDEN (THOREAU)
WAR AND PEACE (TOLSTOY)
THE DIVINE COMEDY (DANTE)
LEETER TO A YOUNG POET (RILKE)

Chakan

Oro!

Fear The Cow

Joined: 23 Nov 01
Moves: 34289

14 Nov 05 07:44

Forgot Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
and Hyperion - Dan Simmons

Bosse de Nage

Zellulärer Automat

Spiel des Lebens

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14 Nov 05 07:48

Originally posted by Nietzsche1844

ULYSSES (JAMES JOYCE)

Ever tried Finnegans Wake?

murrow

penguinpuffin

finsbury

Joined: 25 Aug 04
Moves: 48501

14 Nov 05 07:53

1 edit

Originally posted by buffalobill
TE Lawrence - Seven Pillars of Wisdom

holy macaroni, batman.
that's one bad book.

my favourite book: perfume, by patrick suskind (umlaut on u).
anyone read it?

c99ux

'Sir' to you

Osaka, Japan

Joined: 30 Sep 05
Moves: 40257

14 Nov 05 07:56

Originally posted by murrow
holy macaroni, batman.
that's one bad book.

my favourite book: perfume, by patrick suskind (umlaut on u).
anyone read it?

Darth Sponge

Joined: 03 Mar 05
Moves: 21495

14 Nov 05 07:57

2 edits

i'll add a few more to the list:

One Hundred Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Naked Lunch- William Burroughs

{edit} and shout out a concurrence to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Thus Spake Zaratuthstra- and for that matter several on Nietzche1844's list. (although I might argue against Ulysses... it's good, but over hyped)

Bosse de Nage

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Moves: 90892

14 Nov 05 08:06

Originally posted by Darth Sponge
Naked Lunch- William Burroughs
...(although I might argue against Ulysses... it's good, but over hyped)

Thumbs up for Naked Lunch. You like any others of his in particular? The Ticket That Exploded makes me feel the title refers to my brain (which I think it does).

Ulysses...speaking of inordinately demanding authors, anyone recommend reading The Remembrance of Things Past (Proust) from end to end?